[Top 5 Ways] How to Fix iPhone Backup Error 54

You know the importance of backing up iPhone data and you are trying to make it with iTunes. However, there seem to be some errors preventing the backup from completing. A pop-up window appears and says that “An unknown error occurred (-54)”. Actually, this is a quite common error that has been reported by many users. Don’t worry much, keep reading to see why this iPhone backup error 54 occurs and the solution to this issue.

Why iTunes Backup Error 54 Occurs?

The iPhone backup error 54 usually occurs when a file on your computer or iPhone is locked or there is a permission issue on your computer or iPhone. This error is most likely to occur after upgrading to new operating system. Your computer is not authorized to access iTunes.

Besides, this problem may also be related to iTunes itself because of corrupt download or incomplete installation. Or some important files have been deleted improperly due to virus infection.

How to Fix iPhone Backup Error 54

The following are all the potential methods that you can try to troubleshoot the iTunes backup error 54.

Solution 1. Restart iPhone and Computer

Sometimes a simple restart can help you get out of trouble. Disconnect your iPhone from computer and restart your computer and iPhone. Then run iTunes again to have a try.

Solution 2. Update iTunes to the Latest Version

The iPhone backup error 54 may occur due to bugs of iTunes. The old version of iTunes can cause many problems. So just update iTunes to the latest version. Besides, it’s also recommended to update the iOS as well.

Update iTunes: Click Help on the menu bar on Windows or click iTunes on Mac > Select Check for Updates > If there’s a new version, follow the prompts to install the latest version.

Update iOS: Plug your iPhone into power and connect to Wi-Fi > Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Tap Download and Install to make it.

Solution 3. Run iTunes in Administrative Mode

Right-click iTunes icon > Select Properties > Select Compatibility > Check "Run This Program as an Administrator" > Click OK.

For Windows 10 PC, you can follow the steps below to make it:

1. Find the app in the Start Menu under All apps > Click Open File Location in the More menu.

2. Right-click iTunes and select Properties > Click Shortcut tab > Click Advanced.

3. Tick the Run as administrator box and click OK > Click OK on the main properties window and click Continue.

Solution 4. Check Security Software

The security software may interfere with the connection between computer and iPhone. You can go to check the settings of the apps and disable some options or uninstall the security software and see if it fixes the issue.

Solution 5. Try Other Backup Tool

If all the above methods cannot help you fix the iPhone backup error 54, you may try another third-party tool to help you achieve the goal. Here, I’d like to introduce FoneTool. It’s one free PC-based iPhone backup manager. Compared to iTunes, these are its outstanding features.

● It lets you preview and then select the data you need before the backup and restore while iTunes only supports overall backup/restore.
● The backup files are accessible so you can view the backup anytime you want while iTunes backup files are unreadable.
● When performing the restore, there is no need to reset your iPhone, and will not erase any existing data.

Steps to Backup iPhone

1. Download, install, and launch FoneTool > Connect your iPhone to computer via USB cable > Tap “Trust” on the screen to give your computer access to your iPhone.

2. Choose Phone Backup > Go to Selective Backup option and then you can select the data you want to backup.

→ You can click each icon to preview and select the items. For example, click Contacts icon to view and select the contacts you want to backup > Click OK to continue.

3. Select the storage path > Click Start Backup button to make it.

When the process is finished, you can check the backup task on the Backup Management screen. Here you can choose to locate, browse, delete, or restore the backup files.

Note: To backup newly added data next time, you can click the triangle icon to run an incremental backup. It helps you save time and storage space.

Conclusion

That’s all for how to fix the iPhone backup error 54. Does this passage solve your problem? If so, you could share it to help more people. Or if you have any other ideas, just leave a comment to discuss them with us.